


I'm in your mind

by PepperPan



Category: Septiplier - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Not youtubers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Septiplier - Freeform, a bit OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-09-25 22:36:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9849491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperPan/pseuds/PepperPan
Summary: "He didn’t believe in angels. His family wasn’t very Christian and he never really dug too far into religion- his life rule was just “Be a good person and people are going to be nice in return” so he just guessed that it also applied to afterlife.Yet there he was, standing few rows away from the counter, deep in focus over some book. "





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i'm kind of anxious- this is my first story not only in english but also on this website. a.k.a. please don't kill me if i made any major mistakes, just please write them down and spare my soul

Americans are weird, Jack decided.

Sure, Ireland was full of freaks too, but in two months of living in LA he saw more people dressed as Statue of Liberty than he should in his whole life. The thing that bothered him about them was- those cosplays weren’t even good, someone threw on a grey dress and a paper crown and thought they deserved money for that.

Sometimes though, sometimes they got radical. Just like now- he had to scream at some dude who tried stealing his van. He had to threaten him with calling the police, and only then the 40-year old man in a potato sack ran away. Jack once again checked if he locked the door properly and walked through the back door to the store. He shut down the door behind him and locked it with his keys.

He put down another box full of fresh, newly printed books on a nearby stack of other boxes. Some famous youtuber just released an auto-biography and apparently, every goddamn shop in America had to have five thousand copies in store. The funniest thing was- she wasn’t even twenty-five. What did she even write about? Her pet hamster dying?

“Morons.” He murmured under his breath and straightened his back which popped with a satisfying crack. Working in a book shop really wasn’t helping his posture. But again, it was helping his wallet, so he didn’t really have a room to complain. It was the only place which offered him job at hand and without experience. The pay was shit, but it was something- definitely more than what he earned back in Ireland, which was… nothing. He couldn’t even get a job as a goddamn cleaner- and he hated cleaning after somebody else’s mess.

“Oi! Felix!” He shouted to his colleague working the shift with him. “This was the last one! Can I go home now?”

He didn’t have to wait too long for an answer as few seconds later a blonde with piercing blue eyes rushed into the room.

“Not yet.” He smiled playfully and wiggled his eyebrows. “You might wanna take a look at this.”

“But I’m so hungry!” He whined but followed Felix anyway. When Jack started working at this place a month ago, the Swede was assigned to show him around and teach about how everything works. At first the Irishman was pretty shy around him, being new in the shop and hell, even the country, but he quickly found that his new “boss” was a very nice guy with the same sense of humor as him. They clicked together pretty well and became good friends, making Jack forget that they met like 30 days earlier. Jack even tried hitting on him, but was turned down due to the fact that Felix had a girlfriend of four years. Thankfully, the man just laughed it off and it didn’t affect their relationship. Thankfully, because Felix was just what he needed in entirely new environment, where everything was unknown- even if he acted like an asshole sometimes, he was a good guy.

“Well, young man, then it’s your lucky day!“ Said the Swede, grabbing Jack by shoulders and dragging him to the counter. “Because I’ve found you a dinner.” He grinned and pointed with his chin at someone in the shop.

“Dude, that’s so creepy, don’t ever say that aga-“ Irishman looked around to pinpoint said “dinner” and felt his mouth go dry at the sight of a man before him.

He didn’t believe in angels. His family wasn’t very Christian and he never really dug too far into religion- his life rule was just “Be a good person and people are going to be nice in return” so he just guessed that it also applied to afterlife.

Yet there he was, standing few rows away from the counter, deep in focus over some book. The angel was wearing grey sweatpants and black shirt, which almost made him look like he just walked out of bed- almost, because that shirt fit him so _ridiculously well_ it couldn’t be comfortable to sleep in. He had muscles, _big muscles_ excuse you, but not to the body-builder extent. He had Asian features- Korean, maybe? -and fluffiest-looking black hair, which he clearly didn’t do anything with. He also didn’t shave for a while, with slight stubble decorating his square jaw- which complemented his face even more. This made Jack a little bit jealous- how can you look _this good_ without even trying?

But the thing that shook him the most were his eyes- focused, lost in the words of some text, the deepest, most beautiful shade of brown.

“I know, right? Let me tell you, if I weren’t taken, I would sooo go after that ass.” Felix looked to his side and laughed at the Irishman in awe. “Dude, you’re drooling. Stop.”  He snapped his fingers in front of his face and Jack came back to reality.

“He’s so out of my league.” Was the first thing he managed to stutter. He suddenly felt very nervous and aware of his surroundings. Oh God, is that sweat?

“What? No way, you’re good. You just gotta stop being a little bitch.” The Swede punched him in the shoulder playfully but Jack started to shake his head.

“No, I can’t, shut up- he’s way too cool for me. Look at the guy!” He said with a hushed voice. “He’s a fucking Calvin Klein model and I’m sitting here with too big uniform and sweat stains!”

“Okay, stop right there. Sure, he’s a fine piece of meat but so are you. And this shirt suits you _perfectly,_ I don’t know what you’re talking about. Besides- “He said straightening the wrinkles on Jacks shirt “-it’s not the looks that matter. And once he finds out what an amazing guy you are, he’ll fall in no time, like that! “. Felix snapped his fingers and smiled reassuringly. “You’re good, okay? Now get yourself together and go get that capital D, tiger.” He ruffled his hair with fingers and pushed him in the direction of the man.

Jack tumbled a little bit and took a few deep breaths. “Yeah, what Felix said.” Jack muttered to himself as he started walking towards The Angel. You can do it. He’ll love you.

Oh God, but what do I even say?

He slowed down to re-think this whole idea.

Do I ask if he needs help? He’s already reading something! Do I just go up and ask for his number? No, I’m not a douchebag! Oh God, what if he’s not even gay? Or bi? Guys like this are always surrounded by other models! I’m nothing compared to them!

 Jack took the first turn and walked away from the Asian, feeling himself turn even hotter. This was a bad, bad idea. He propped up on a shelf and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

He glanced at Felix who gave him thumbs-up. Yeah. You can do it. Just, go up and ask what he’s reading. Then you’ll figure something up. What’s the worst that can happen?

With new courage, he turned around and started walking towards raven-haired man, who was still reading that book from earlier. Now, being closer to the man, Jack could make out different features- the dreamy look on his face with little bags under his eyes, the gentle way he held the book without breaking the spine, his slim figure, very _nicely_ rounded butt and God, those muscles were even bigger up close. But seeing the sparkle in his eyes, Jack hesitated one last time and decided.

I can’t make it.

Once again, Jack walked past the man and decided that the smell of his cologne would become his sign of defeat. Cowardly, with slumped shoulders, he came back to the counter, not even bothering to look up at Felix. He could almost _smell_ his disappointment.

“I know, I’m a bitch, I chickened out, yada-yada, you can laugh at me all you want-“

He was abruptly stopped as he felt the Swede push him forward.

“What the fu-?” He tumbled forward and was ready to swear at the man, but as he jerked his head up, he was met with the warmest look from the most beautiful, dark eyes. He felt his throat go dry and somewhere behind him, from far, far away, he could hear Felix snorting.

“I’m the best goddamn wingman in the world.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I want this to be a multi-chapter thing, and I have planned at least 10 chapters, so if you guys are intrested in it, let me know!  
> Also, thank you so much for the positive response to this! I was kinda anxious to post it at first, but seing so many kudos and comments is super encouraging. Thank you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys like cheese

His brain stopped working for a moment. He stopped blinking. He stopped breathing. The world stopped spinning. For this few seconds, everything was turned off and the only thing that existed, were those eyes.

Eyes the shade of lazy mornings after a hard week. Lazy mornings with dark coffee and freshly baked cupcakes, with pumpkin and cinnamon. Mornings under a warm blanket and by a good Pixar movie.  The eyes warm like a hot shower, when everything else around is cold. Color of autumn and leaves falling off the trees, color that surrounds you when you hug in the middle of the day, color that keeps you going and motivates you to do your best. Pigment that welcomes you home after a long day of work, with a hot bath and a delicious meal. The shade that makes you feel safe as you lay together on the couch with cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows and caramel. The color you want to drown in as you exchange drunken kisses after a bottle of cheap wine. The eyes that observe as you take off your clothes and make you feel _wanted._ The eyes you hang onto as you-

Whoa.

Too far there Jackaboy.

But he couldn’t stop looking. This guy had the warmest eyes he’s ever seen and the security they promised you as you looked in them made him want to stay like this forever.

Speaking of.

Jack realized he’s been staring at the stranger for past ten seconds. Not good.

With struggle, he managed to rip his eyes away from him and coughed awkwardly, trying to not look like a total creep. Which he was.

“H-hello. How can I help you?” He looked up at the guy and smiled, begging heavens or whatever god was up there to help him. He tried to strategically avoid his eyes, or he might just drift off again.

The man put his book on a counter and smiled. And _holy shit_ this guy was impossible- even his teeth were perfect.

“Hi, yeah, I wanted to- uh, get this book.” He said pushing it forward towards Jack.

And _Jesus Christ_ his voice was the deepest baritone he ever heard. Jack didn’t know what he imagined his voice to sound like, but this was _far_ beyond what he expected. The Irishman felt his knees weaken and tried to stay focused but somehow- _somehow_ \- it got harder and harder with time.

With shaking hands, Jack switched to auto-pilot as he took the book and scanned it, desperately trying to come up with something-anything- to say. He couldn’t let this guy walk away or Felix wouldn’t let him live.

“It’ll be twelve ninety-nine.” The stranger nodded and started searching in his wallet for money, and Jack took this opportunity to glance over his shoulder at Felix.

“What the fuck do I say?” He mouthed and the Swede shrugged his shoulders.

“Just go for it! Ask for his number!” He mouthed back. “Do it you Irish pussy!”

“I’m not a pussy you-“

“Here- you go?” Jack quickly turned around and smiled at the guy, who was standing with twenty-dollar bill, handing it to Jack. Desperately trying to save his face, he took the money and _God_ his hands were so fucking soft.

_What the fuck do I do?_

As he searched for the change, his thoughts were rushing in attempt to think of something to say. He didn’t want to be blunt, it would be just… weird. And he might creep him out- lord knows he would be, if a cashier just randomly asked him for a number. He didn’t want to also seem stupid, blurting out a shitty pick-up line. They never worked and frankly, for a reason.

Of all times, now his fucking brain decided to be blank.

He picked the money and handed it to the stranger, smiling weakly.

“Thank you for shopping, we hope to see you again.” The formula he repeated everyday automatically rolled off of his tongue. Yes, he admitted his defeat.

The guy nodded his head and for a second he looked like he wanted to add something, but decided against it and turned around.

As soon as the man started walking away, Felix grabbed Jacks shoulders and started shaking him violently.

“What the fuck are you doing!? You had him! He was totally into you! Why didn’t you say anything!? Ah, forget it, just- you can still catch him, go!” He didn’t even wait for a response from Jack and just pushed him from over the counter. “Or I will fire you!”

The Irishman looked at the back of the stranger, walking further and further away from the shop.

Then it hit him- if he doesn’t do anything now, he might never get another chance. He might never come back to the shop, and even if he does- he would be too embarrassed to say anything. He would hide in the corners of the shop and curse himself that he didn’t do anything when he had the chance.

What do they say? It’s better to do something and fail than regret that you never tried?

_Ah, fuck it._

Jack jogged out of the shop in the direction of the man and threw away all his worries. Now or never. He had to at least try. And if the handsome stranger laughed at him- well, he could always find another job.

Back in Ireland, ideally.

When he finally caught up to the Asian, he tapped him on the shoulder, who turned around and looked surprised at the sight of Jack. He threw him questioning look and Jack smiled awkwardly, trying to give himself some courage.

God help him, he needed _a lot_ of it.

“Hi! So, I wondered- you look like a nice guy- and kinda cute- I thought, maybe- maybe you wanted to hang out? Sometime? I mean if you want?” 

_Well this didn’t go half as bad as I thought._

The man looked a little shocked at Jacks suggestion and- did he blush a little? Oh God, is he straight?

The Irishman already started regretting his actions. Did he never date a guy before? Or was he embarrassed that Jack asked him out in the middle of the street? Fuck, he was straight, he should’ve known- pretty ones are always straight-

“Yeah, totally. It would be amazing.”

Jack jerked his head up and stared at the man who was now smiling softly- _God he’s so gorgeous-_ and nodding a little.

He- he agreed?

“Oh, wow. I mean, awesome.” He couldn’t stop his smile from spreading across his face. “My name’s Jack, by the way.”

“Mark, nice to meet you.” He- _Mark_ \- said shaking Jacks hand.

“The pleasure’s all mine” And he didn’t lie. Right now, he felt like he could walk on fucking clouds.

“So, whenever you’re free?” Mark asked and looked at Jack with anticipation.

“Now? I mean-“ He mentally facepalmed himself. He just met the guy and already seemed desperate. Way to creep out potential dates.  “-I’m ending my shift and I’m free after that- but that’s too fast probably, so I can give you my number and we’ll arrange something?” Jack was already cringing at the whole conversation. Why, just why, whenever he met someone nice he forgot how to form sentences? And think?

 Felix wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.

“Actually, if you’re hungry, we can go to a bar nearby?” Jack looked at Mark with surprise. “I mean- if you’re just ending your shift, you’re probably hungry and I don’t have anything else really planned for today so-“ The man shifted uncomfortably. “so, if you’re willing? They have really good pizza there.”

Jack grinned and nodded his head. He mentally thanked Felix and every god out there- he didn’t pass out.

“I never say no to a pizza.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo much cheese  
> but anyway thanks for reading! i don't really have an update schedule, but I will try to post at least once a week. we'll see how this will turn out once school starts again haha  
> but yeah, thank you so much, leave me your thoughts and see you next chapter!
> 
> [edit] how did this hit 50 kudos what i don't understand this world  
> but wow thank you guys so so much! i hope i can live up to your expectations haha lol


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like adding chapter summaries. It's the first thing that people look at when they open the chapter, it's so stressful- if it's boring or badly written, they will approach the story with reserve. Meta chapter notes are more fun. They feel free.

“So we went to this bar.”

“Aaaand?”

“And we ordered pizza. Can you believe he doesn’t like pineapple on pizza? I was really disappointed, I mean- it's the best thing ever, on earth.”

“Yeah yeah, what was next?”

“We just, kinda talked. He’s a huge video games nerd so-“

“Oh that’s all I needed. You’re perfect for each other.”

“Oi, shut up! So we went through our favorite games and then we kinda drifted from there. Can you believe he beat every single Five Nights at Freddies game at 20/20 mode?” Jack looked at Felix expecting some sort of awe, but his friend just stared at him like he was and idiot. “It’s a- it’s a horror game and 20/20 is the hardest mo-“

“Jack, I would love to hear you talking over every single detail of this stupid game for hours, I really would, but I’m kinda more interested if you made out.”

“Oh fuck you too you meatball.” The Swede snorted at the insult but Jack just decided to ignore him and continued. “Anyway, he works at home, he’s a graphic designer and makes websites for living. He was studying engineering but dropped out since it was too stressful and he has some, like, health issues so it was really bad for him. He always had a thing for computers and programming anyway, so he decided to pick up on that. His favorite color is green and likes his coffee black.” Jack thought for a moment. “And I can’t really think of anything else we discussed.”

“So you don’t know anything important about this guy? Great job.”

“Hey, it was our first date! Also, it was all over the place- one minute we talk about games and nerd shit and second we have a debate if vanilla is better than chocolate. Honestly, he has killer looks but the worst taste.”

It was a few days after Jacks date with Mark. As soon as he walked through the door, Felix ran up to him and demanded to describe how the date went, as on friday, Jack, with the biggest grin on his face rushed to gather his things and refusing to say anything practically _skipped_ through the shop.

Surprisingly, he didn’t vomit once and when they warmed up to each other, the conversation was flowing smoothly and Jack no longer felt like a nervous wreck. They had similar interests and found a lot of common topics, which made him relaxed and genuinely happy to sit there, with Mark. He never wanted the night to end.

“Ok so what did you do next?”

“Well, sometime around nine, I said I needed to go home as I was basically dying. Maybe I would stick around longer, but certain _someone_ made me carry boxes which weighed fucking tons and I couldn’t feel my body.” He glared at Felix and the other just shrugged raising his arms in defense.

“Hey, man, you haven’t been out with anyone _ever,_ how would I know that this exact night you would finally decide to move your ass and go on a date?”

“I’m still blaming you. So, I wanted to pay the bill, as it was me who asked him out, but he refused and we ended up splitting it-”

“Ooh, a gentleman. What a catch, Jackaboy.”

“Yeah, but he really was. He even offered to ride me back home” Jack smiled reminiscing on the night before. “So duh, I accepted. We talked a little more as he drove, just dumb shit, like our favorite colors or something.”

But mostly, they sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other’s company- he would never tell that Felix though, he would make fun of their cheesiness.

“So, as he pulled up to my apartment, we exchanged numbers and he promised to text me.” 

“Yeah, aaand?” Asked the Swede stepping closer to the Irishman.

“And I kissed him on a cheek, ok?” Jack cut sharply and stepped away from his friend.

But it was literally it- he really liked Mark and didn’t want it to be one-night stand. Sure, they could make out right there and then, but it would feel rushed and… well, fragile, cheap, like he was nothing more than a toy for the evening. He wanted to check if Mark also liked him and wanted this to be something more.

So, as he kissed him on a cheek, he moved away to see if Mark would make a move for something more. But the Asian lived up to his gentleman reputation and just smiled and thanked him for the evening.

Somehow this innocent gesture made him blush whenever he thought of it.

_God, what am I, twelve?_

“Awww that’s so adorable!” Felix laughed and clapped his hands. “Oh they grow up so fast!” He faked wiping away his tears and hugged his friend.

“Hey, shut up!” Jack pushed him away pretending to be angry, but in reality, nothing could ruin his mood right now. “I bet you were miserable when you met Marzia too!”

Felix snorted trying to contain his laughter.

“What? Me? You’ve gotta be joking.” He flexed his muscles and smirked. “I was always this amazing and charismatic.”

“Yeah, especially when you had to write me messages on little cards because you were too afraid to actually speak to me.” Suddenly they heard a voice from behind them and turned around to see Marzia, smiling slyly at them. She was propped up on the counter and listening to their conversation.

Jack started laughing and turned to his friend with disbelief.

“Seriously? You wrote her _messages on paper?_ When you were in one room?”

Felix turned pink and looked away embarrassed.

“Hey, we’ve been writing to each other on the internet for like, a year, of course I didn’t know how to act when we met in real life!”

“Yeah, but you weren’t so charismatic then.” Marzia laughed tauntingly at the Swede and he looked at her like he wanted to strangle his girlfriend right there, right now. What gave him out though was a little smile playing on his lips when he looked at her. Jack always found their relationship adorable.

Felix met Marzia five years ago, through a common friend. They started talking through Skype and soon found out they liked each other, or, as Felix said one drunken night, he totally fell over heels for her. The only problem was, they lived thousands of miles away from each other and couldn’t really meet in real life. Felix started working his ass off to afford a plane ticket to Italy, and finally, after a year, he managed to gather just enough. He stayed with Marzia for a week in her house and apparently, a week wasn’t enough, so she moved in with Felix in Sweden. They got an apartment together and even though it was hard, they managed to make living, mostly, because of each other’s presence. Felix worked his ass off at a harbor and Marzia, with her anxiety disabling her from working with other people, worked from home. She made her own line of clothing which got really popular- so much so she got a job offer in America. Not ever hesitating they moved to LA and here they were, Marzia designing clothes and Felix- at a local bookshop. Truth be told, Marzias clothes were so popular, they could make a living just from that, but Felix refused to make her pay for everything while he stayed at home and did nothing.

Jack met her a few times already, she sometimes stopped by after work to visit Felix. She was an absolute delight with wordy tongue and Jack could totally see why they were together for so long and still loved each other to death.

“Thanks for support there, babe.” Felix said bitterly. “But that aside, our dear Jack here got himself a boyfriend.” At this Marzia perked up and looked excitedly looked at the Irishman.

“Really? I’m so happy for you!”

“Well, he’s not really my boyfriend-“

“Yet!” Felix cut him off and Jack shot him a glare.

“As I said, we’ve only been on one date. Nothing is set in stone. Maybe he didn’t like me or got bored, or-“

“He didn’t let you pay for the bill, drove you back home and let you kiss him. Yeah, he hates your guts.” Felix remarked sarcastically.

“Did he text you yet?” Marzia asked ignoring her boyfriend.

“Well, actually-“ Jack cut his sentence short as he saw a familiar mop of black hair in the entrance.

Mark stepped in the door as he looked around, looking for something. As soon as he locked eyes with Jack, he smiled and waved him softly.

Today he was wearing a pair of black jeans and a shirt in black and grey stripes. And _of fucking course_ those pants _had to_ be skinny and this shirt _had to_ show off his muscles.

_He’s going to drive me crazy._

Not that he was complaining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Marzia, a.k.a. my absolute fave. I absolutely adore her and Felix's relationship, I don't like this words, but, such goals.   
> But yeah, to update you guys- my laptop was broken for like a week and the part I needed arrived literally yesterday, so that's my excuse for not updating earlier. I wanted to do it for 50 kudos but literally had no means to do so. Also yeah, that happened- 59 kudos! Can you guys even believe that, I'm literally shocked. Thank you so much for reading this story and commenting, it really really means a lot.   
> I hope you liked this chapter, I know it was boring, but I will make it up to you- I hope -couse I have so so much planned for this story. So, be on a lookout for that! It will come! ...someday  
> I told you I like writing notes. So, as always, please point out any mistakes that you see and leave your thoughts down in the comments! Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I haven't forgotten about this fic

Felix noticed Mark at the same time that Jack did.

“Oh. Marzia, that’s him.” He said not-so-discretely and the Italian turned around to check out Mark. She was practically scanning him from head to toes and Jack realized that his date probably felt awkward with all three of them staring him down.

Huh. Date. He liked the sound of that.

“Oh, he’s hot.” She said approvingly.

“Guys, you’re creeping him out.” He scolded them and looked at Felix, but before he managed to say anything more, his boss waved him off.

“Yeah, yeah, just go already. And what do YOU mean, he’s hot?” He turned his attention to Marzia and Jack took this opportunity to sneak out.

He walked over to Mark and felt himself getting nervous all over again. He really liked him and didn’t want to fuck things up, which happened pretty easily in his case. He left Ireland for a reason.

As soon as he saw the warm smile the man gave him though, he felt himself relax a little bit.

_You made it through the first time, today you can do it again._

“Hi!” Mark welcomed him with a smile and put his hands in his pockets. “Ready to go?”

“Let me just change, I’ll be back in a sec.”

“Sure, take your time. I’ll just stand here and… pose for your friends.” Mark laughed a little and Jack turned around, just to see Felix and Marzia bluntly staring at them. When they saw that Jack noticed them, they rapidly turned their heads in different directions and pretended to be focused on something else. Assholes. 

“Oh God.” He murmured and turned back to Mark. “I’m so sorry, they’re just really excited to see me go out with somebody, I guess. I don’t go on dates very often.” He chuckled and Mark shook his head.

“No, it’s ok, I’m not mad. Should I like, walk over and talk to them?”

Jack hesitated for a second. Introducing Felix to anyone meant awkwardness and humuliation, and while Marzia was around- boasting. A lot. He would grab at every opportunity to show that's he's better than everyone else- how he didn't see that Marzia is madly in love with him and would never look at anyone else- that was a mystery.

I mean, he would have to meet them sooner or later. And Marzia can pretty accurately read people, so if Mark gets _her_ blessing, they can practically go to the altar tomorrow.

Ah, why the hell not.

“Yeah, sure. But don’t believe in whatever Felix says, he’s full of shit.”

Mark laughed at that and together they walked to the counter, making the pair a little embarrassed.

 _That’s what you get_ , Jack thought.

“Felix, Marzia, this is my… date, Mark. Mark, this asshole and his lovely girlfriend are my friends.”

“Hey, who do you call an asshole?”

“It’s lovely to meet you.” Marzia, tactful as always, ignored her man and shook hands with Mark smiling politely.

“Same here.”

“Give me just five minutes, okay?” He asked Mark and as the other nodded, he rushed to the locker room. He just hoped Felix wouldn’t say anything dumb.

As he ran into the cloakroom, with the speed of light he opened his locker and pulled out his shirt, which he neatly folded before. He pulled off his uniform and put on a black t-shirt, straightening it once again on himself. After that, he walked to the mirror and started combing his hair to look less like a badger, which was a difficult and long task- it was unusually disobedient today, probably to make him look stupid in front of Mark.

Speaking of Mark, the man texted him earlier that he wanted to check out one place (what place- he didn’t mention, claiming it was a surprise) but they had to be there early, as it supposedly got crowded at night hours. From what he said, he had planned an interesting date and Jack would love it. Granted, he didn’t know Jack very well so it was probably a blind shot.

The Irishman just hoped it wasn’t a strip club.

God, please don’t let it be a strip club. 

Jack was already fighting with his hair for over a minute and started to get impatient. He couldn't make it look fluffy, no matter how long he would comb it- which was always a go-to look for him. He looked cute with combed fluff. He knew it. But for it to look good, he would have to wash it, apply some fluffying product Marzia gifted him one time, blow-dry it while constantly keeping it on a comb and wait a few minutes for it to fully dry. But no, he had to be stuck in the backroom of his work with his date waiting in the front.

His thoughts rushed to where he left off Mark- with two people he didn’t know, probably talking him into marrying Jack or telling embarrassing stories about his past. Or even worse- threatening him with long, painful and bloody death if he hurts “their precious green bean”. Whatever that nickname meant.  

“Okay, fuck it.” He muttered under his breath and hanged his bag over a shoulder.

Jack walked out the door and his eyes automatically went to the counter, where he left Mark with Felix and Marzia. With relief, he noticed that the three of them were laughing about something- Mark didn’t look uncomfortable or blackmailed, which was a big relief.

“I hope it’s not about my accent.” Commented Jack as he walked over to his friends.

“What about it?” Asked Mark, but his voice was silenced as Felix decided to yell at the whole shop.

“TOP O’ DA MORNIN’ TO YA LADDIES!” He screamed suddenly and Jack jumped in the air, being no further than a meter away.

“Jesus Christ!" He yelled and shot Felix a middle finger as the Swede laughed at him. "Yeah, that.” Jack commented grimly.

“Oh come on man, your accent is just too hilarious NOT to make fun of” Said Felix grinning.

“No it is not! It’s one hundred percent pure awesomeness!”

“More like ninety percent potato and ten percent leprechaun.” The Swede threw Mark questioning look. “Come on, isn’t it? At least you agree with me- ouch!”

Marzia nudged Felix under ribs and looked at him disapprovingly. Jack rolled his eyes at the Swede- he never was really tactful. But he had to admit, he was curious what Mark thought of his accent.

When he first arrived in LA, people were staring at him like he was an alien, but since then, his accent blended with American banter and now it was just all over the place- you could hear his irishness, but not as much as a month ago. He wasn’t lying though- he liked his voice, it reminded him of home.

“Actually-“ All heads turned to Mark, as nobody really expected him to answer. “-I think it’s charming.”

Jack felt himself turn pink and smiled shyly, as Felix grunted loudly.

“God, you’re no fun. Just go away already or I’m gonna barf and make Jack clean everything.” He waved them off. “It would be sad to see his fancy clothes get dirty. He didn’t dress up for nothing.”

“I mean you heard him” Jack shrugged his shoulders and grabbed Mark by wrist, dragging him along to the exit. “Bye guys!”

“Have fun!” Said Marzia and smiled at them. As she observed the pair exit through the door, she turned to Felix. “I like him.”

“Yeah, he’s a good guy.” Said the Swede as he embraced his girlfriend. “Though there is something off about him, I just can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“You’re just paranoid because it’s about Jack.”

“Yeah, probably.”

They stood like this for few seconds in silence, thinking about the whole situation.

“It's like a dad syndrome.”

“ _Dio,_ just stop.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [EXCUSES] I just like having backup chapters and I was waiting to post the next one as I didn't have the one after that finished yet and it dragged out a bit. Okay, a lot. But the next two ones are gonna be longer than those that I post now, kinda fluffy and dumb. But more will happen so look forward to that [/EXCUSES]   
> As always, leave your thoughts and point and laugh at my mistakes. Feedback is always appreciated! And I know it's boring as heck but it will get better, maybe worse, cheesier, fluffier and whatnot. It will be more interesting, I think. Oh, I almost forgot, more familiar faces in the next chapter! a.k.a. i'm yt trash


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey would ya look at that, a chapter over 3k words and it's just a half of it. Hope it isn't as dumb as it probably is, I just had a lot of fun writing it- but once again, I love fluff and cheese. Also a bit of background: I've written half of this to Lana's "Love", so... don't expect anything interesting

Jack walked out of the shop feeling embarrassed from his friends.  He loved Felix and Marzia, he did, it's just that sometimes they could be a little bit… too overwhelming. Acting all overprotective and shit, trying to check out the “new guy” to see if he’s a serial killer and whatnot. He just hoped they didn’t scare Mark off. He glanced at the other man who looked a little bit thrown off, but still gently smiling. Or was it a polite expression? As if he hated that experience but didn’t want to be rude? Well, he deserves an explanation one way or another.

 

“Hey, listen,” He started, trying to find right words. “I know they seem terrifying, but I swear, they didn’t mean anything bad, they wanted to… get to know you. I mean Felix IS bat-shit crazy, but completely harmless, like a-”

 

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” Mark cut him off sarcastically which earned him a punch in the shoulder. “Okay, no sass, noted. But seriously now- don’t worry. They just care about you and it’s normal. I mean, the stares Felix gave me while you were gone, sheesh.” He shivered but before Jack could say anything, he brushed it off. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m a big boy. And I don’t plan on doing anything dumb, I appreciate my heartbeat too much. So don’t worry about it and let’s focus on our date instead, okay?” He smiled at Jack and gently grabbed his hand, looking at him with question in eyes, as if asking, if he's allowed to.

 

 _No, you’re not, dammit, I’m going to fucking faint here_.

 

Jack squeezed his palm back and smiled, trying to keep himself stable. This is going to be a long night.

“Fine. So, will you finally tell me where the heck are you dragging us to?”

“Oh I don’t know. If I tell you now, you might still run away and my whole plan would be ruined.”

“Your plan?” Jack asked suspiciously.

“Well, yeah. I haven’t eaten fresh flesh in over a week and fuck this, I’m over diets.” He grabbed Jack’s hand tighter and put on a mischievous smile. “I’ve booked an appointment with my favorite butcher, who is super difficult to catch. I told him it’s a special occasion and he agreed to make an exception. You know, his dishes are particularly special, it’s just understandable that a lot of people demand his services.” He grinned creepily rubbing his hands together like a villain from a cartoon and Jack held back the urge to laugh. What a fucking dork.

“Oh shit, damn, sorry I- “ He stopped in his tracks and pointed behind him trying to put on his most serious face. “I just remembered I left Marzia my great grandma’s sister’s boyfriend’s pet rock and I ha-“

“No way in hell Jackaboy!” He shouted and dragged Jack closer to him, making the other laugh. “It’s too late now! You’re never gonna escape Mark Edward Fishbach!” Jack pushed himself away from the Asian and looked around to see that other passersby were staring at them weirdly, like they were actually expecting Mark to put Jack in a totally-not-suspicious white van and drive the fuck away.

And normally, he was trying to stay out of sight, as his appearance was already drawing attention from others, but now, he didn’t give a fuck. He looked back at Mark and grinned at the sight of the other’s comically suspicious face.

“I hope ya’ll heard that!” He shouted back and watched as Mark started laughing, feeling himself crack up. His laugh was so damn contagious.

After few minutes of stupid jokes and bad puns they finally reached their destination. The building was average-sized, painted black with bright red neon lights all over it. It didn’t look like anything special, LA was full of mysterious “hipster” places like this one, without windows, with a lot of dudes coming in and out, an outline of a woman made with neon lights-

Oh.

For a second Jack actually felt himself going sick- he really didn’t think Mark would actually bring him to a fucking _strip club_.

What the heck did he think?! Not only were they on a date, but on a fucking first date, and a strip club is probably the worst place for a hangout ever, unless you wanted to hook up. God, what if that’s all that Mark wanted?

And he was going to find a lame excuse to run away, until he noticed a smaller neon over the entrance, which said “Grumpcade”.

“Huuuuh? Aaand?” Mark asked excitedly and as Jack looked over at him, the other was just beaming with energy. 

“Is this- an arcade?”

“Well, yeah. I thought it would be fun to just, you know, hang out. Play some old games. Talk a bit. What do you think?” He asked, sounding a bit worried so Jack shook his head, smiling softly.

“Dude, I haven’t been in an arcade in like, a hundred years. This is gonna be awesome.” He remembered how ages ago, always on Fridays, he used to practically fly out of school with his friends, rushing to the nearest place that had arcade games. Usually it was a beat-up bar with a few automats on the side, where it always smelled of beer with cigs and the owner would kick them out after an hour. He would save up his money for a whole week, just to spend it all on Mortal Kombat and kick the shit out of his friends. They always bought coke afterwards and drank it on the way back home, screaming all excitedly about what happened that day and what they were gonna do tomorrow.

Oh man. Those were the times.

Back in the present, Mark was opening the door for him and Jack gladly walked in, feeling himself getting pumped.

The inside was quite nice, and it didn’t reek of booze- which was a nice change from his childhood memories. Everything was black, including walls, a long bar on the right and a few tables on the left. Only the bar stools and chairs were bright red, creating a nice, flashy contrast. The few lamps were also shining red, creating a classy atmosphere. Maybe a little bit sexy. Actually, very sexy.

But the actual fun started a few steps ahead, where you had to go down a few stairs to reach “gaming stop”, as Jack decided to call it.

As it turned out, the bar was just a half of the room. The other was a full-on arcade, with a ton of different machines, ranging from old school games like Pac-Man to newer machines like DDR. They were packed one by one, trying to fit in as much as possible in the available space. The lights there were blue, creating much more… family-friendly place.

“It looks awesome.” Jack grinned wildly and Mark nodded his head, also taking the surroundings in.

“Yeah, much better in real life.”

“In real-?”

“Mark!” Suddenly a loud voice rang out interrupting Jack’s sentence. A man came out of a room from behind the bar, grinning wildly. The man was more on the chubby side, with his hair tied back in a ponytail with a blond streak in it. Probably an owner, Jack thought.

“Finally you moved your sexy ass here. I thought you would never come!”

“Well I was passing by and thought I might as well check if you’re bankrupt yet.” Mark grinned and hugged the other man, giving him a pat on the back. “Say, how many dicks did you suck to keep this place rollin’?”

“Dude, so many.”

The man looked over at Jack. “But you DID decide to bring a date along here of all places, so it can’t be that bad.”

He smiled and extended his arm to shake Jack’s hand. “I’m Arin, the owner.”

“Jack. Nice to meet ya. And I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, this place looks amazing.”

“Thank you!” Arin exclaimed. “Finally someone said it!”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just pity.” Mark murmured but smiled anyway. “So, how are things going? How’s Suzy?”

“All’s good in the hood. And she’s bomb, as always. But, that’s not important right now, wait a second.” He said rushing behind the counter. He grabbed something and came back, giving Mark a bag of coin-sized chips. “Here, as promised. Have fun boys.” He waved at them and went back to the counter, busying himself with work.

“Well, shall we?” Mark gestured with his head to the gaming area, and Jack gladly followed him there.

As they walked down the stairs, Jack felt like he could finally breathe again. Arin seemed like a nice guy, but meeting new people was always challenging for him, especially when it was so sudden. He still didn’t know how the hell he managed to talk to Mark in the first place.

The gaming area, despite tons of machines, was pretty empty with only a few kids hanging out there. It didn’t seem like a very popular place, but then again, it was only five in the afternoon, not many people came out at this hour.

“So, what do you wanna play first?” Mark asked, gesturing to a variety of games. Jack looked around checking out the machines, recognizing a few from his childhood.

“Dude, Pac-man, always and forever.” He walked over to the big machine with yellow monster on the side. Mark caught up to him and handed a few coins, which the Irishman immediately put in the machine. In seconds, it started buzzing and Jack felt himself going back to his town- the sound was so familiar it actually hurt.  

“Oh man. This takes me waay back.” He grinned and put his hands on the controller.

“Yeah, no kidding. I used to go the arcade with my brother literally every time we had free time, hell, even an hour.” He looked at the screen as Jack was moving a yellow monster around. “Although we would usually choose, you know, Mortal Kombat. Or Tekken. Blood. Punches. Manliness. Pac-man was reserved for… y’know. Losers.”

“Hey! Don’t underestimate the greatness of Pac-man!” Jack ripped his eyes away from the screen and shot him a glare. “It’s a very complicated game which requires a lot of skill, reflex, planning and overall intelligence, which you seem to apparently- ah, fuck!” He screamed as a blue ghost caught his character and he had to start over. Mark snorted on the side and started laughing at Jack, who felt himself going pink. But he had to admit, the comedic timing was too good not to laugh, so he giggled as well.

“That doesn’t count, I was talking!”

“Excuses, excuses.”

“Fine! Show me your expertise then!” He moved away and propped himself against the machine.

“Watch and learn.” Mark cracked his fingers and bent his neck, popping bones in his spine. He grabbed the controller and smirked, as if already sure of his victory. Jack couldn’t help but roll his eyes, which he soon fixed to the screen.

Okay, Mark was good.

But come on, he was in his try-hard mode, gluing his eyes to the game and refusing to say anything, devoting all the attention to victory. Obviously Jack would have worse score, as he was trying to have an argument at the same time. If he actually tried, he would beat this dumb game in no time.

Okay, maybe he was making excuses.

“Ha!” Mark shouted triumphantly as he ate the last dot on the screen. Jack rolled his eyes and clapped slowly, which didn’t throw the Asian off at all, who just bowed.

“This doesn’t prove anything besides the fact that you’re a try-hard.”

“This proves that I was right and this game is dumb. And I’m not a try-hard, I just like winning.” Jack snorted at the man, who stood dumbfounded, clearly not getting how ridiculous he sounded. “What?”

“You know, I like winning too. But I also like having fun playing games.”

“Yeah, and winning is fun. I don’t get your point here.” Jack rolled his eyes and pulled Mark away from the machine. 

“Fine, fine. How about you show off your manliness and not-at-all-try-hardness in something else? You choose this time.” Mark looked around the arcade and Jack could see his eyes open wider at the sight of an older machine in the corner.

Of course, it was Mortal Combat.

Mark looked at him with shining eyes and Jack just couldn’t say no. He nodded enthusiastically and felt something in his stomach, as Mark smiled oh so wildly and run up to the machine.

Besides, he also wanted to play it, he just was whiny because Mark said it was manlier than Pac-man.

Bullshit.

“We should, like, make a bet or something.” Jack said as he walked up to the game, where Mark was already putting coins in the machine.

“Sure.” Mark thought for a moment as the game started up. “Whoever loses…”

“…buys ice cream later?” Mark nodded and shook Jack’s hand with a smirk.

“Deal.”

As it turned out, Jack was a try-hard too.

He wanted to play it cool, start the competition slowly, warm up a little bit, but the determination Mark put in the game made it practically impossible. He was beating the living shit out of Jack and he had to step up his game if he wanted to save his paycheck. 

And so, after not even five minutes, they were punching the buttons and yelling at the screen, making everyone in the arcade slowly back up to the counter to try and catch Arin’s attention. The man, however, just kept polishing the glasses and smirked a little, telling them to relax and let the guys play for a bit.

The competition was going neck-to-neck. The pair turned out to be an interesting match and as much as Jack wanted to be at least a bit romantic, the constant pressure from his date made him scream slurs and dumb puns, trying to catch his opponent off guard. The other, however, seemed immune to his shit-talking and responded to every joke equally dumb, calling Jack a potato or a leprechaun.

While Mark was playing offensively, attacking Jack head-on with combos and combinations of hits, the other was trying to come up with some kind of strategy, backing up and waiting for the blows to pass, which didn’t always work. As a result, the score was constantly tied up.

It turned out that neither of them could handle the defeat, so soon “best of three” changed into “best of five” and finally “best of ten”. Just as Jack was about to pay for another game, he noticed that the bag, earlier full of coins, was now down to a single token. He took it out and held out on his hand, looking at Mark questioningly. The Asian looked just as surprised as he did at how fast they spent the coins.

“Well, shit. What’s the score?” Mark asked and Jack shook his head, losing track about five games ago. He was sure that Mark knew and didn’t even bother remembering it.

“It’s a tie then!” Suddenly they heard a voice from behind, and as they turned around they saw a tall, skinny man with big, _big_ curly hair. He was dressed in a leather jacket and had the warmest, widest smile Jack had _ever_ seen. Maybe besides Mark’s.

And oh, he was wearing a cape. Red one.

“Hi Markipoop.”

“Danny!” Mark exclaimed as he hugged the other, a genuine happiness in his voice. “I didn’t know you were here!”

“Yeah, I was just sitting in the back, didn’t want to bother you guys. But don’t worry, I’m pretty sure the whole LA knows that you guys are here. And holy shit man, you’ve got some lungs!” He turned to Jack and looked at him in awe.

“Years of practice of yelling at my ma’s sheep.” Said Jack nonchalantly and puffed his chest jokingly.

“Nice.” Dan nodded and clapped his hands. “Small talk aside, I happened to overhear your conversation and you seem to be in a bit of a pickle.”

“Yeah, we had a bet that whoever won the game would buy ice-cream later. I mean we can play one last time, and whoever wins that one will-“

“Boring!” Dan screamed cutting Jack off in the middle of the sentence. “It’s a tie breaker and you’ve been playing the same game for hours, mix it up a little! What do you think?” He grinned as he looked between the men, apparently expecting nothing less than an agreement.

Jack looked over at Mark, who just turned his head to look at him. Dan was telling the truth, they spent whole evening at Mortal Kombat and while it was fun, they could do something else too. It would also mean that they won’t find out who is the ultimate champion, but they could always figure it out next time. Tonight, they should just focus on having fun.

Jack shrugged his shoulders and nodded.

“Sure, I’m in. How about you, Mark?”

“I mean, I guess? But what should we play the-“

“Perfect!” Dan screamed and grabbed both men by the shoulders. “I’m choosing the game!” He said as he dragged them to an opposite direction from the machine. Jack was about to complain that it was their date and they should choose what to play, but Dan was having none of it as he pushed them in front of a big machine, proud of himself.

Jack looked at the game and snorted, laughing to himself.

Seriously, it had to be DDR.

“You’re joking.” Mark said in disbelief trying to sound pissed, but Jack could hear him smile anyways.

“What, you’re too afraid that I’ll beat your ass?” Jack straightened his back and glared challengingly at Mark with raised eyebrow. The other seemed to pick up as he shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Obviously not. I just don’t want your ego to be destroyed by my amazingness.”

“Oh if I were you, I would rather worry about your ego, because it’s gonna get wrecked.”

“Well then, show me your moves.” Jack groaned loudly and Danny laughed, walking over to the machine and putting a coin in it.

“You know it’s getting serious when somebody starts quoting Captain Falcon.“ He commented as the game started flashing various colors and playing some generic music. “All right gentleman and gentleman, please walk over to your spots. I expect clean fight, no tickling, farts or dick jokes.”

“No promises.” Jack glanced over to his left at Mark, who was standing in the middle of the pod, looking as serious as never. Flashing lights were dancing on his skin, accenting his features, dark eyes focused on the screen and jawline which could pierce through ice. His hair was a mess after intense fights in Mortal Kombat, individual strands standing in every direction. Jack couldn’t stop his eyes from travelling all across his body, once again disbelieving that someone could look good without even trying.

Suddenly Mark turned his head to Jack and he too looked distracted, scanning Jack while biting on his lip. He finally locked his eyes with the Irishman and smiled softly, a gesture which quickly turned to devious smirk.

“Come on!” He screamed in overly-energetic voice and he’d been any closer, Jack would actually slap him across his face.

“That’s what I like!” Screamed Danny as he chose a song for them and turned it on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was never actually in an arcade, so don't kill me for not knowing the games lol, I just put in the ones I wanted them to play. Is an arcade a fun place to go hang out in? I don't have a clue, I literally googled where are the good places to go on a date in L.A. and this came up as one of them. Then I had this idea of grumpcade coming to life and it kinda stuck with me. Don't quote me on anything I said in this chapter tho lol   
> Yeah, it's probably going to take me a while to post the next chapter, but it's also on the lenghty side so hopefully it'll be worth it!
> 
> ps i gave out some spoilers in this chapter, can you guess where will they go in the next chapter? I'm really curious if i'm too obvious lol   
> ps 2 it's a specific place! not just "yeah that and that", it actually exists!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses, so... enjoy the chapter and happy easter!

“You just had luck.”

“Winning isn't about being lucky, it's about being bold.”

“Oh I _will_ punch you.”

Jack started laughing at Mark’s angry expression. They were standing in a line in an ice-cream shop, waiting and ready to order- on Mark’s credit.

Somehow Jack managed to beat him by fifty points- sweaty, sticky and out of breath, but he did it. Was it worth it? Probably not, but the sight of Marks defeated expression was enough to compensate for his pain. Once again they were going neck-to-neck through the entire song, but somewhere around the end Mark started missing steps, as if he was distracted by something, which was enough for Jack to catch up and win. Grinning wildly, he collapsed on the platform (Danny _had to_ choose them the hardest difficulty) and looked over at Mark, who was also looking at him smiling softly. Jack felt like on a display with Mark’s eyes studying him closely. Jesus, he was coated in sweat and barely breathing, what was he staring at?

Mark admitted his defeat and claimed that if they’re going to get ice cream, they would have to get the best goddamn ice cream in LA. Or in the area, as it was around nine and all shops would be soon closing.

And that’s how they ended up at Diddy Riese, Mark promising Jack the best ice cream experience of his life. The Irishman, being the connoisseur of sweets of all kind, couldn’t refuse his offer.

“You mean, falcon punch me?”

“Har har.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll stop. So what do you recommend?” Jack looked at the menu and nudged the other under his ribs. The menu was very varied, ranging from cookies to sundaes, so it was difficult to choose just one thing. His mouth was watering just looking at the names, he would never be able to decide.

“Honestly everything here is amazing, but their ice cream sandwich is number eight on my top ten favorite things in the universe.”

“Ice cream sandwich it is.” Jack stated as they walked over to the counter and placed their orders. They didn’t have to wait too long as soon they were handed one sandwich with cookies and cream flavor- for Jack, and second one with mint chocolate chip filling for Mark. They walked out of the shop snacking on the sweets and Jack had to admit- they were fucking amazing.

“So. What else is on the list?” Mark looked at him questioningly. “You know, your favorite things in the universe?” The Asian hummed in understanding.

“Uhm, my job, I think? Okay, I know it’s lame, but hear me out.” Mark stopped Jack before he could start laughing. “I’ve always been into computer design and all that nerdy stuff. There’s just something satisfying about it. Coding I mean. It’s just fun for me. When I realized I can actually pay my bills from it, it just, sort of, clicked. I mean, I do my own schedule, work whenever I want and take all the breaks I need. I got so used to it, I can’t imagine waking up at the break of dawn and going to a normal job, sit there for eight hours and come back home drained from all energy. No offence.” He said quickly and Jack brushed it off.

“None taken. If I had the slightest chance of dropping my job and doing something I actually enjoy, you would never see me there ever again. So it’s cool you got to live off of something you like, that’s like a… dream.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m very thankful for it. What would you like to do? For a job?” Mark asked sounding genuinely interested.

Jack took a bite off his sandwich and thought for a bit. Back in Ireland his parents made him go to college and he decided to study hotel management, mostly because of the need to have a degree in something, _anything_ to feel less useless.

He hated it though.

It was boring and dull, people were assholes and he had 8 a.m. classes. All. Week.

He lasted there only for a year before dropping out, mostly due to the fact that he skipped half of his lessons and spent them on playing video games.

“I don’t know. When I was a teenager I used to play drums and it was fucking amazing! It would be cool do play music, rock out in a band, y’know? Don’t have time to practice and money to buy a decent kit though.” He sighed. “I mean I guess I’d like to do something related to video games. Maybe also design? Or testing? Jesus, as long as it’s more interesting than what I have now, I can sweep floors at EA for all I care.”

“EA?”

“I’m desperate.” Mark snorted.

“Fair.” He nodded in agreement. “I bet you’re gonna find something, though. All you really need is energy and ideas, and you’re full of that, so it should be pretty easy. Have you applied anywhere?”

“Not yet. Trying to sort out this whole LA mess I’m in now.” Jack crumpled a wrapper and put it in his pocket. “I’m still new to… everything here, I just want to settle down and take it slow. Maybe in a few months, when I save up something. But for now, I’m going to just work my ass off sweeping floors and unpacking books. Could be worse.”

_You’re on a fucking date, so much for taking life here slow._

“Yeah, I get it. When I moved here a few years back, I didn’t have a clue what the fuck was happening. I was alone and everything was different, I was so scared, I almost moved back to Ohio. I wanted the world to stop, but it just… kept spinning, not giving a fuck what I was thinking. It was just too much for lil’ ole’ me. What I wanted to say-“ Mark coughed and looked away, getting embarrassed from his banter. “If you ever need help, just, let me know, ok? Or, not even help, just like, someone to talk to.”

Jack smiled softly feeling butterflies in his stomach.

They were now further away from the city center, walking along an alley in some neighborhood. Few streetlights were scattered along the sidewalk, shining just bright enough to show them the road. Some of them were broken and shattered, but some were flashing- and if it wasn’t for them, they would be walking in total darkness. If he was alone, Jack wouldn’t probably have balls to step a few meters into the street- but with Mark on his side, he felt as safe as in home.  

“So now you’re friendzoning me, huh?” Mark rapidly turned to face Jack and looked at him with a shocked expression.

“What?! Of course not, I was just saying- I just wanted to- “ Jack laughed and grabbed Mark’s hand, subtly silencing him.

“Jesus, calm down, I was only joking. Thanks. Really. I appreciate it.” Mark visibly relaxed and smiled warmly, squeezing Jack’s hand and _Jesus_ how much he wanted to kiss him right now.

Never letting go of their hands, they walked along the sidewalk, admiring the unusual silence around. LA was never quiet, yet the only sound they could hear was an occasionally passing car followed by loud barking. The streetlights gave them enough light to see where they were going, but not enough to cover up the few stars they could see from here. Usually LA was too bright to see anything on the sky, this was the first time Jack could see stars since… hell, since he came here. Back in Ireland, every night was a starry night.

He turned his head up to see more, when Mark squeezed his hand harder. Jack turned to face him, yet the other also had his eyes focused on the stars. He looked at them with a certain type of awe, with dreaminess covering his gaze which led Jack to believe that the Asian actually got lost somewhere in space.

Jack smiled softly and took it upon himself to safely guide Mark around, so that the other wouldn’t bump into anything. Jack believed they were walking towards his house, as he started to recognize more and more of the arena. This realization made him feel sad, craving more time with Mark. Should he invite him inside? Was it too fast? Or would the other take it the wrong way?

“Y’know, space if pretty high up there too.” Jack turned to look at Mark, who still had his eyes glued to the sky. “I mean, the list, obviously.”

“Oh? Why?” Jack asked, genuinely curious.

“I mean, it’s _so big._ Right now, we see what, ten stars. But those stars are probably bigger than our sun, and there are billions and billions and billions more, to the infinite point. _Infinite!_ And every one of them has its own planets, in different sizes and conditions. And there may be other organisms out there! Ones that can be more advanced than we are, maybe they’ve been observing us for ages now! There is _so much_ out there, and we haven’t explored one percent of it all. It’s just… fascinating.”

Jack observed with awe at how passionate Mark looked talking about the space. His cheeks got redder, his eyes watered from not blinking, yet he never looked away from the stars.

Beautiful.

Fuck.

“Uhm. Sorry about that. Forgot myself there for a bit.” Mark laughed uncomfortably and looked down embarrassed.

“Do you ever want to go there?” Jack asked ignoring Mark’s apology. The other looked a bit thrown off, but in seconds he gathered himself and looked back at the stars.

“To space? All the time.” He said without hesitation, which made Jack concerned.

“Aren’t you afraid? There could be amazing things out there, but there could be a lot of… deadly things too.”

“I don’t care.” Mark answered immediately. “We know earth. We know every bit of it- besides the ocean, _fuck_ the ocean- but nobody knows what’s _there_. And I want to see it with my eyes, see something… new, different. Things humans never imagined. Even if it means dying a minute later.”

“Why didn’t you become an astronaut then?” Mark looked down at his feet, suddenly looking thrown off.

“I- I wasn’t cut out for it. Wouldn’t work.” He said and sped up his pace, which Jack took as a sign to end the topic.

The question raised a strange tension to the atmosphere and Jack felt guilty. Clearly it was a sensitive topic to Mark, he shouldn’t dig in too deep.

“So. How do you know Arin? And Dan?” He asked, wishing it didn’t sound as forced as it did. They were closer and closer to Jack’s apartment and he didn’t want them to part on awkward conditions.

Mark perked up.

“Oh, I actually designed the internet page for Grumpcade.”

“Really?” They seemed like long-time childhood friends, they got along so well, and they met through the internet?

“Yeah. A few months back, actually. Arin e-mailed me saying they need an awesome page for yesterday, and it had to contain, I quote here, “Family friendly Sonic, sex and alcohol.”” 

Jack laughed and imagined Mark trying to fit everything together. Sonic giving his signature thumbs-up while holding a beer and banging Tails. Gross.

“So, obviously, I accepted. We kept e-mailing each other the details of what we wanted for the page and we just kind of started talking. Soon Arin asked me out for dinner, to discuss everything. Now, he has a wife, so don’t get jealous, I’m all yours.” Mark winked at Jack and the other rolled his eyes, trying to stop the blush from spreading across his face.

“Oh, thanks for mentioning that, now I don’t have to cut his throat.”

“Anyway, we kept e-mailing, met a few times, this time with Danny or Suzy or Brian or really anyone who else works there. So, the page was done, not the best of my works but you can’t really turn sexy Sonic family-friendly, and I was sure they were going to stop talking to me. I mean, my work was done, right? For some reason, though, they kept responding to my messages and texted themselves, so even though we don’t talk nearly as much, we never broke contact. Fun fact, I never went to the place myself. And, uh.” Mark stopped and laughed under his breath. “Arin actually forbid me from going there, until I finally got my shit together and asked somebody out. He said that my first time there should be with some hot guy, and this way I would have only good memories from there.” Jack felt himself blush once again. Thankfully, Mark looked flustered as well.

Jesus, they were acting like a pair of teenagers on a first date. Which was kinda how Jack felt right now.

“So. Do you have good memories?” He asked only half-joking.

They finally walked up to his apartment and stopped in front of the door, neither of them acknowledging this fact.

Mark looked up at Jack and smiled warmly, making Jack’s insides melt.

“It was honestly one of the best nights in my entire life.”

Okay, if Jack wasn’t blushing until then, he definitely was now. Why did he always have to say something cheesy like that?

Obviously, he also had fun. Something about the arcade made him feel safe, like he was back in Ireland, around his old friends and family. For the first time since coming to L.A. he felt like he was… home.

Or maybe it was Mark who felt like home? His calm eyes? His passion about life? His positive attitude towards everything? His friendliness? His gentle smile? His laugh? His focused expression, as he leaned forward and-

His what?

Oh God.

Mark was in fact getting closer to Jack, looking anxiously as he flicked his gaze between Jack’s eyes and lips, as if asking for permission.

The world slowed down for those glorious few seconds, as Mark looked at him with hope and once again, Jack felt like he couldn’t resist the man. He himself stepped closer, not even realizing it. He wanted to feel Mark, to seal this thing they had, to remember this night forever.  

It was safe.

Mark was safe.

And so he leaned forward, closing his eyes, ready to meet Mark’s lips. And _finally,_ he could feel the other’s warm breath, inviting, tempting him to get lost in this moment. Just a bit closer and he would touch him, taste him, just an inch more and-

Suddenly, the door to the building opened and a woman stormed out, making both men jump away from each other. She had an angry expression and was talking loudly on the phone, screaming at someone on the other side. She didn’t even acknowledge what was going on before practically running away from the door, still shouting at her caller.

_Well, shit._

Both men stood dumbfounded and Jack didn’t know if he should cry or laugh. The whole atmosphere was ruined and he felt a little awkward, feeling his cheeks redden.

“So, uh…” He started, avoiding Mark’s gaze. “I should-“

“Yeah I should- probably-“

“- I have work and-“

“-yeah I should- I have to-“ They started stuttering and looked in each other’s eyes. In a second Jack  felt all his tension release. He started giggling softly, at which Mark smiled and started cracking up himself, which turned to full-on laughing fit.

And once again they stood, laughing their asses off in the middle of the night. Jack couldn’t stop even after Mark calmed down, gripping his stomach and feeling his face hurt. He didn’t even know what he was laughing at, this whole situation looking ridiculous, yet somehow fantastic.

As he calmed himself down enough to stand properly, he saw Mark move towards him and before he had a chance to react, he felt the other’s lips on his cheek. He abruptly stopped laughing and looked at the other, shocked, yet Mark just smiled and put his hands in his pocket.

“Goodnight, Jack.” He said and slowly turned around, walking away from still frozen in place Jack. The Irishman felt his cheeks turn pink- no, _red, like a ripe fucking tomato-_ and he turned around to open the door with his keys, hiding his grin.

Yeah. It was a fun night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied, I always have excuses. This time it was writer's block and it made me kinda lose hype for this fic. Fortunately I stumbled upon an amazing author and lately I've been reading just their works, even in class lol. So, this thing will never be as amazing as their fanfics, but fuck it, I'm still going to write it. i can too. so. happy easter, eat some eggs, frolic with rabbits and enjoy your lives everybody  
> ps. the author is feistymuffin and i can't recommend them more, go and read all of their works. It will take you a hundred years but it's so so worth it  
> ps2. once again, scream at me if something here doesn't make sense or i fuck up grammar again


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yea i suck

So. I really didn't want to be this kind of person, writing the story, hyping it up and then abandoning it. Yet here I am, doing exactly that.

Truth be told, over my life I had about a 1000000 ideas for stories, yet I have never written any of them down- even if i tried. This thing- those 6 chapters- is literally my biggest story-telling achievement in my whole life. 92 kudos, 10 bookmarks, almost 700 hits. I know that in comparison to other fics it's not that much, but for me it's like i got published, you know. 

Sorry, I'm making this sound like a tragic story, that's dumb. I just want to point out how much i love every person who commented or left kudos, i really really really appreciate this as i never thought anyone would want to read this. I wanted to make this a big thing, with romance, drama, fluff, horror and shit, so why am i leaving this?

I don't have the stamina for long fics. Sometimes i tried writing down my ideas but gave up after two pages, because i felt bored, like this was dumb, and my writing was shit. Don't get me wrong, I will stay up whole night to read long fics- i just can't write them. That's why i can't write this anymore- i know people liked it, and i still can't understand that, but i just don't feel the hype anymore. So I suck, I know. And I'm sorry for that. I will miss this and i do feel like shit because i really really thought this story would be different. 

Having said that, I won't stop writing. 

This story you can consider done- it ended after their first kiss, and they lived happily ever after. In this aspect, I'm glad I can't do cliffhangers- you can decide to think of it as done  and it has ended this way, they lived happily ever after. 

But just because i can't write long stories, I can write oneshots. The best things i've written, to school or in my free time, were short, quick and told a story in vague ways. They had symbols, meanings, fun characters etc.- just because i could re-read them countless times and change things up, polish them, without thinking if things i said collided with the rest of the story. I can and want to work on them more. 

So while i am ending this story, i will post more- independent and probably not connected to each other- but i will post. At least i really really want to, because of you guys. 

So, once again, sorry for hyping this up and then leaving it here, i truly feel like shit for this. But, hopefully, see you in the next story! Bye-bye!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to tell what i wanted for this story or i won't feel complete- so if you liked how it turned out in the end, probably don't read the next few sentences.   
> So, obviously I wanted to make them look like a perfect couple- and that they lived on goddamn clouds, and i know i probably overdone it lol. But that was the point- they were happy with each other, too happy. And then shit was supposed to go down. Because there i wanted to insert our favorite demon, Dark. The idea I had for him was that he was in Mark all the time. He was possesing him, but not controlling- all the interactions written here were purely between Mark and Jack. He was staying quiet, waiting for Mark to get attached to Jack, to feel happiness, only to destroy him later. This was my idea for Dark- he was a demon possesing Mark with the purpose of making his life miserable. Every time Mark was happy with someone, something, Dark would come out to kill, destroy and ruin everything all over again. He was waiting for Mark to fall in love with Jack only to hurt him later- by hurting Jack. Not necessarily kill him, but say hurtful things, maybe rape him, torture. Destroy their lives. Obviously Jack would fight for Mark, try everything he could to make Dark dissappear, but would it work? Would he actually win? That's what I was wondering for a long time, and that's a thought to ponder for you, dear readers. Thanks for sticking with this story. You're cool.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if you'll like this story. I don't know if it'll be interesting. I don't know if I will finish it. I know, however, that if I finish it, it's going to be with a blast. It's going to be romantic, cheesy, adorable, and sad, sad and painful. I want to finish it and I will try super hard to do so. So, leave me your thoughts, point out mistakes, and most importantly, enjoy the ride


End file.
